Ski-sled



F. L. BISSETT June 13, 1967 SKI-SLED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1965 INVENTOR. B/JU' E 77,

FEED

F. L. BISSETT June 13, 1967 SKI-SLED 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 25, 1965 R m F W ma 6" w J a L Y F United States Patent 3,325,179 SKI-SLED Fred L. Bissett, 1300 Florence St, Aurora, Colo. 80010 Filed Apr. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 450,297 6 Claims. (Cl. 280-25) This invention relates to a ski-sled, having a single runner and a shock-absorbing seat structure, and capable of operation on snow or other suitable surfaces, including water.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an eficient, controllable, and comfortable device of the kind indicated, wherein a seat structure is articulated to the runner for tilting forwardly and rearwardly, as well as upwardly, relative to the runner, in a vertical plane, in response to variations in the contours of the medium over which the device is operated, the movements of the seat structure being snubbed and controlled by shockabsorbing means connected between the seat structure and the runner.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a rear end elevation of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are vertical transverse sections, taken on the lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, of FIG- URE 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated de vice comprises a single, relatively narrow runner 10, of suitable material, such as steel, having a flat main portion 12, terminating, at its forward end, in an upwardly curved tip 14. A centered bottom groove 16 is formed in the main portion 12, which extends to the rear end thereof.

A single, longitudinally elongated strut 18 is suitably fixed upon the main portion 12 of the runner 10, is narrower than and is centered relative to the main portion, and has a rear end 20 which is located near to and is spaced from the rear end of the runner. The strut 18 has a straight upwardly and downwardly angled upper edge 22 which terminates, at its forward end, in a downwardly curved portion 24 which extends to the upper surface of the runner 1t). At its rear end, the upper edge, 22 terminates in a rearwardly and downwardly angled portion 26 A seat structure 28 comprises a forward bracket 30 which has a horizontal cross member 32, which bears upon the upper edge 22 of the strut 18, and has pendant side flanges 34, on its ends, which bear against the opposite sides of the strut, at a location rearwardly adjacent to the curved forward end portion 24. The flanges 34 are fixed to the strut 18, as indicated at 36, and the cross member 32 is secured upon the upper edge 22, as indicated at 38. A pair of laterally spaced, inverted V-shaped flat arms 40 rise from the cross member 32.

The bracket arms 40 are traversed, at their upper ends, by a pivot bolt 42, having thereon a spacer sleeve 44, extending between the arms 40. The vlower ends of a pair of V-shaped arms 46 bear against the outer sides of the arms 40, and are journalled on the pivot bolt 42. At their wider upper ends, the arms 46 are fixed, as indicated at 48, to the opposite sides of a longitudinally elongated, vertically disposed centerboard 50, having a straight lower edge 52, which, as shown in FIGURE 3, is normally parallel to the upper edge 22 of the strut 18.

The centerboard 50 has an upwardly and forwardly angled forward end 54, extending upwardly from the forward end of the lower edge 52. The forward edges of the arms 46 are in line with the forward end 54. The

centerboard 50 has a mutilated upper edge, which is composed of a forwardly and downwardly angled forward portion 56, and a rearwardly and downwardly tangled rear portion 58. The forward end of the rear portion 58 is depressed, relative to the rear end of the forward portion 56, so as to define a shoulder 60.

A rearwardly flaring, flat, isosceles triangular seatboard 62 is centrally secured upon the rear portion 58, of the upper edge of the centerboard 50, and has a squared apex 64 which bears against the shoulder 60. The seatboard 62 has a rear end 66 which is at the upper end of a forward-1y and upwardly inclined rear edge 68, of the centerboard 50, and an inverted triangular block 70 abuts the rear end 66 and is secured to the edge 68 of the centerboard.

The seatboard 62 is covered, within its margins, by a pad 72, of such as foam rubber, which is covered and secured in place, by means of a flexible cover 74, whose edges 76 are secured upon the margins of the seatboard. A continuous convex moulding 78 overlies the edges of the cover 74, and the moulding 78 and the edges 76 are traversed by screws 80, threaded into the seat iboard. Abbreviated convex hand-holds 82, are suitably fixed along the rearward areas of the rearwardly flaring edges 84, of the seatboard 62.

Longitudinally elongated snow or water fenders 86, spaced below the seat board 62, are secured to opposite sides of the centerboard 50. As shown in FIGURE 3, the seat board 62 is disposed in a rearwardly declining plane, relative to the horizontal, whereas the fenders 86 are disposed at a slight forward and downward angle relative to the horizontal, and, as shown in FIGURE 4, the fenders are disposed at slight laterally, outward and downward angles, relative to the centerboard 50. The fenders 86 are of isosceles triangular form and flare rearwardly, from the forward end of the centerboard, as far as a point beneath the seat board 62. The outer edges 88 of the fenders 86 extend to the rear edges of the seat board, as indicated in FIGURE 1.

A rearwardly extending bracket 90 is fixed on an intermediate part of the rear edge of the centerboard 50, beneath the block 70, and has a cross member 92, fixed, as indicated at 94, to the centerboard, and rearwardly extending arms 96. The arms 96 are traversed, at their rear ends, by a pivot bolt 98, on which is journalled between the arms 96, an eye 100, on the upper end of the housing 102 of a hydraulic, two-way shock absorber 104.

The shock absorber 104 is disposed at a rearward and downward angle, relative to the perpendicular, and has a piston rod 196 which eye 108, which is journalled on a pivot bolt: 110. The pivot bolt traverses the upper ends of a pair of spaced arms 112 of a bracket 114, having a cross member 116 which is fixed, as indicated at 118, upon the upper edge 22 of the strut 18, near the rear end thereof.

Another bracket 120, similar to the bracket 114, is secured to extend rearwardly from the rear edge of the centerboard 5d, at a location below the shock absorber bracket 90, and the arms of the bracket 120 are traversed by a pivot bolt 122.

The upper end of an upper, rearwardly and downwardly angled anti-sway link 124 is journalled 0n the pivot bolt 122, the link 124 being traversed, at its lower end, by a pivot bolt 126. The link 124, as shown in FIGURE 5, has a laterally offset lower end 128 through which the bolt 126 extends. A lower, forwardly and downwardly angled anti-sway link 130 has a laterally offset upper end 132, which is journalled on the bolt 126 and bears against the inward side of the lower end 128, of the link 124. The lower end of the lower link 130 is journalled on a pivot bolt 134 which traverses the upper ends of spaced arms terminates, at its lower end, in an 136 of a bracket 138, disposed between the rear end of the centerboard 50, and fixed upon the upper edge 22 of the strut 18.

In use and operation, the rider of the device seats himself upon the seat board 62, with his legs extending forwardly and in a generally horizontal position, above the fenders 86, and grasps the hand-holds, preparation to forward movement of the device, whether produced by being towed over a surface, such as water or snow, or by the declination of a snow slope. As the device progresses over the particular surface, any irregularities of the surface produce upward and downward movements of the device, which tend to dislodge and/ or discomfort the rider. Because of the pivoting and the anti-sway articulation of the seat structure on the runner, and the snubbing and shock-absorbing action of the shock absorber, the violence of such movements is reduced and controlled, so that the rider rides with substantially greater comfort and security, and has full control of the device, as in steering thereof, which is done basically by tilting the device toward the side to which a turn is to be made. The antisway linkage prevents sidewise movements of the seat assembly, relative to the runner.

What isclaimed is:

1. A ski-sled comprising a single runner, a seat structure pivotally supported at its forward end on the runner, anti-sway means comprising laterally engaged link means pivoted together and pivoted to the seat structure at its rear end and the runner, and a double-acting shock absorber pivoted at one end to the seat structure at the rear end thereof and pivoted at the other end to the runner, whereby to snub both upward and downward movements of the seat structure.

2. A ski-sled comprising a single runner, a seat structure pivotally supported at its forward end on the runner, anti-sway means comprising laterally engaged link means pivoted together and pivoted to the seat structure at its rear end and the runner, said seat structure including a vertical longitudinal centerboard having a lower edge spaced upwardly from and extending along said runner, said link means comprising a lower rearwardly inclined link pivoted at its lower end on the runner, an upper rearwardly declining link pivoted at its lower end to the upper end of the lower link, the upper end of the upper link being pivoted at its upper end to the centerboard at the rear end thereof.

3. A ski-sled comprising a single runner, a seat structure pivotally supported at its forward end on the runner, anti-sway comprising laterally engaged link means pivoted together and pivoted to the seat structure at its rear end and the runner, said seat structure including a vertical p longitudinal centerboard having a lower edge spaced upwardly from and extending along said runner, said link means comprising a lower rearwardly inclined link pivoted at its lower end on the runner, an upper rearwardly declining link pivoted at its lower end to the upper end of the lower link, the upper end of the upper link being pivoted at its upper end to the centerboard at the rear end thereof, and shock-absorbing means comprising a forwardly inclined hydraulic shock absorber pivoted at its lower end on the runner behind the centerboard and pivoted at its upper end to the centerboard at the rear thereof.

4. A ski-sled comprising a ski runner, a seat structure spaced above and extending along the runner, said seat structure comprising a vertical longitudinal centerboard having a seat fixed thereon and extending to opposite sides thereof on a rearward part of the centerboad, fenders fixed to and extending laterally from the opposite sides of the centerboard and spaced below said seat, said fenders extending forwardly beyond the seat and being disposed at laterally outwardly and downwardly angles relative to the centerboard, said centerboard being spaced upwardly from the runner and pivoted at its forward end on the runner, and means supportably articulating the centerboard at the rear end thereof to the runner.

5. A ski-sled according to claim 4, wherein said articulating means comprises an upper link pivoted to the centerboard, a lower link pivoted to the runner and means pivoting the links together.

6. A ski-sled according to claim 4, wherein said articulating means comprises an upper link pivoted to the centerboard, a lower link pivoted to the runner and means pivoting the links together and a hydraulic shock absorber extending between the centerboard at the rear end thereof and the runner at a point behind the centerboard, the shock absorber being pivoted to the centerboard and to the runner.

References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 307,730 11/1884 Proctor 280--25X 613,110 10/1898 Bickel 28021 1,517,806 12/1924 Spencer 297 301 2,125,920 8/1938 Hayden 297 301 2,343,526 8/1944 Bombardier 280-25 2,460,815 2/1949 Dunkel 280-12X FOREIGN PATENTS 361,236 12/1922 Germany.

453,644 12/1949 Italy.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primaly Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner.

M. L. SMITH, M. S. SALES, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SKI-SLED COMPRISING A SINGLE RUNNER, A SEAT STRUCTURE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED AT ITS FORWARD END ON THE RUNNER, ANTI-SWAY MEANS COMPRISING LATERALLY ENGAGED LINK MEANS PIVOTED TOGETHER AND PIVOTED TO THE SEAT STRUCTURE AT ITS REAR END AND THE RUNNER, AND A DOUBLE-ACTING SHOCK ABSORBER PIVOTED AT ONE END TO THE SEAT STRUCTURE AT THE REAR END THEREOF AND PIVOTED AT THE OTHER END TO THE RUNNER, WHEREBY TO SNUB BOTH UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENTS OF THE SEAT STRUCTURE. 